A Servant’s Heart: Indiana Donor Honors Memory of His Mother with Homes in Honduras

Longtime donor Tim Thoman was looking for a meaningful way to honor his late mother, Joyce Thoman, who died last year.

He found it by stepping in to complete the funding for 20 homes in Villanueva, Honduras, for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Community Commemoration project.

All 20 two-bedroom concrete homes were completed earlier this year with families moving in soon afterward, thanks to Thoman’s generosity.

A sign outside the community proclaims: “Marjory Stoneman Douglas Memorial Project. In Memory of Mrs. Joyce L. Thoman.”

“My mother had a real servant’s heart,” Thoman said. “She was always giving and serving others. I thought it was appropriate to give back in this way.”

The project was born out of an initiative in 2021 to honor the victims of the Feb. 14, 2018, tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Community members raised funds throughout the year to build 20 homes but fell short of their goal. When Thoman learned about the opportunity to fulfill the project, it felt like the right way to honor his late mother.

Thoman is founder of Indianapolis-based Performance Services, an engineering company that specializes in constructing and renovating schools, universities and health care facilities. Performance Services has built more than 160 homes in Haiti through the organization.

The homes in Honduras are an answer to prayers for families who lost their homes and jobs after back-to-back hurricanes pummeled the country in November 2020.

Initially, FFTP considered building the homes in Dulce Nombre, a rural area located in hilly terrain about 100 miles southwest of San Pedro Sula. The charity later decided to build the homes in Villanueva, which is close to other communities already developed by in-country partner CEPUDO, with access to water and electricity, and schools and a clinic nearby.

Although his mother never had the chance to visit the homes in Honduras or the other projects Thoman has supported in Haiti over the last decade, Thoman said she understood the impact of what he was doing.

“If she would have seen the significant need and the suffering of the families, especially the children, she would have been moved to help however she could,” Thoman said. “She would’ve been pleased with the fact this project helps them in the long-term. It gets them out of the mud and provides them dignity.”

Michael Turnbell

Communications Associate
954-471-0928 – mobile
michaelt@foodforthepoor.com